You May Be A Walking Dengue Bomb

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What Ails You

Thursday, 15 September 2011 02:30

By Colin Sampson

Antigua St John's - You may not be aware of it, but you may be an unknowing source of infection for countless innocent people around you.

Once someone contracts dengue fever from the bite of an infected female Aedes Aegypti mosquito, the virus spends a 14-day gestation period in that person's bloodstream before becoming active.

During that time, however, if the infected person is bitten by another female Aedes Aegypti mosquito, that mosquito can then go on to bite and infect several more people before its appetite for blood is satisfied.

Only the female Aedes Aegypti seeks blood – preferably human, making her truly more deadly than the male. Her silent search for the essential food for her eggs may not end until she has fed on each individual in a small group, a room, or a household.

That is the unnerving implication of certain facts about dengue fever, the latest star health story to hit the headlines in Antigua & Barbuda. Chief Health Inspector Lionel Michael is the public servant charged with co-ordinating on-the-ground vector control against all kinds of threats to the public health. His stark, simple message is: avoid being bitten by mosquitoes.

Above all, he warns, avoid being bitten by mosquitoes in the early morning and in the early evening – the favoured feeding time of the Aedes Aegypti.

Dr Jerry Simon describes the Aedes Aegypti mosquito as a silent predator, stalking the lower limbs: going for the ankle, the foot, or the calf. It also approaches soundlessly from outside its target’s field of vision. This is all the more remarkable since, as Lionel Michael points out, the insect does not “see” its prey in the normal fashion, with eyes. Instead, it hones in on the carbon dioxide given off by its victim’s body.

Dr Simon and Michael made their comments this week on Caribarena.com’s Colin Sampson Show.

The female Aedes Aegypti will take animal blood if there is naught else to be had; but nothing suits her better than when human blood is on the menu. Hardy survivor that she is, she will lay her eggs in whatever water is available. The Aedes Aegypti is a finicky insect, however - at least when it comes to water: she prefers it clean, thank you.

Therefore, the mosquito’s favourite place to breed is (naturally) near her number one food source: human beings. That is why Dr Simon and the chief health inspector both counsel individuals to take every precaution to limit standing water around the home and around the premises.

The water in indoor plants must be changed twice weekly. Means must be found to frequently drain and refresh ornamental pools.

Michael advised that the gestation period for the Aedes Aegypti mosquito is seven to 10 days. Water containers – especially outdoor tanks and cisterns – must be covered, sealed, and/or meshed. Containers of any sort that can provide breeding opportunities for mosquitoes must be cleared away, turned upside-down, or covered.

The chief health inspector also approves of the use of personal insect repellents such as sprays and lotions, as well as any other safe means of deterring or killing the insects.

Symptoms of dengue fever are headache and pain behind the eyes, fever and aching joints, as well as flu-like effects. Dr Simon advised against taking medications such as aspirin of ibuprofen to treat dengue fever symptoms. He recommends paracetamol and Panadol for aches and pains, lots of fluids, and plenty of rest.

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Lionel Michael urged infected people (once they know they are infected, that is) to stay away from other people as much as reasonably possible. This is to avoid passing on the virus by becoming part of a foraging female Aedes Aegypti mosquito’s breakfast – or dinner.

In the meantime, CBH is pushing on with its programme of public vector control, treating standing water, spraying, and fogging. Michael urged householders to be courteous and helpful to the health inspectors as they make their rounds. Stopping the spread of dengue fever means literally putting an end to the mosquito population – and that is everybody’s business.

See related stories:

Dengue Prevention Needs Some Attention

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